The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

[chap22]

That's the second time of recent I've heard somebody say that comic books lose readers every month, but that can't be true, can it? Wouldn't the industry have died completely?

pull comparative monthly sales number and look at near about any book. a first issue gets a whole bunch of readers, then you shed readers like mad for a few months until you reach a sort of plateau/floor, at which point you'll still probably lose a few readers each month, but it's a much slower regression. you'll then temporarily boost it back up with new creative teams or event tie-ins, after the newness of which wears off, you'll start dropping back to the plateau again.

[Arion]

That's the second time of recent I've heard somebody say that comic books lose readers every month, but that can't be true, can it? Wouldn't the industry have died completely?

Sadly it's true. That's why once upon a time comics in America were sold by the millions and now only by the thousands. There are less readers now...

[nattygreene]

Sadly it's true. That's why once upon a time comics in America were sold by the millions and now only by the thousands. There are less readers now...

I don't think those numbers reflect only loss of readers; we lost a lot of comic shops nationwide in the last recession. Those numbers also reflect shops buying issues for back inventory and these days you just don't have the crazy speculation you did in the 90's. If anything, the older numbers were being skewed higher by speculative purchases. Since Direct Marketing became the defacto distribution model and shops are shuttering their doors, today's numbers are probably a more accurate account of readership then those of the past.

The banner characters are not going anywhere. Diversification of mediums (film, tv, games) will assure they stay in the collective minds of future generations. The strong numbers being put up by publishers other than the big two reflect an appetite for new content/concepts.

Still $4-$5 for one 22 page comic is a hard pill to swallow for new consumers. Growth is going to be mainly focused in cheaper formats like digital and trades.

[BatWatch]

pull comparative monthly sales number and look at near about any book. a first issue gets a whole bunch of readers, then you shed readers like mad for a few months until you reach a sort of plateau/floor, at which point you'll still probably lose a few readers each month, but it's a much slower regression. you'll then temporarily boost it back up with new creative teams or event tie-ins, after the newness of which wears off, you'll start dropping back to the plateau again.

Hmmm. Okay, I see what you are saying. I knew that you would lose readers after a book premiere; that only makes sense, but you are saying comics lose readers almost every time there is not a crossover? I find that a little unlikely, but I’ll do some homework on it.

Sadly it's true. That's why once upon a time comics in America were sold by the millions and now only by the thousands. There are less readers now...

Does anybody know of a comparative analysis between the comic book market degeneration and the regular book market?

I don't think those numbers reflect only loss of readers; we lost a lot of comic shops nationwide in the last recession. Those numbers also reflect shops buying issues for back inventory and these days you just don't have the crazy speculation you did in the 90's. If anything, the older numbers were being skewed higher by speculative purchases. Since Direct Marketing became the defacto distribution model and shops are shuttering their doors, today's numbers are probably a more accurate account of readership then those of the past.

The banner characters are not going anywhere. Diversification of mediums (film, tv, games) will assure they stay in the collective minds of future generations. The strong numbers being put up by publishers other than the big two reflect an appetite for new content/concepts.

Still $4-$5 for one 22 page comic is a hard pill to swallow for new consumers. Growth is going to be mainly focused in cheaper formats like digital and trades.

Who pays four bucks for 22 pages?

[Arion]

I don't think those numbers reflect only loss of readers; we lost a lot of comic shops nationwide in the last recession. Those numbers also reflect shops buying issues for back inventory and these days you just don't have the crazy speculation you did in the 90's. If anything, the older numbers were being skewed higher by speculative purchases. Since Direct Marketing became the defacto distribution model and shops are shuttering their doors, today's numbers are probably a more accurate account of readership then those of the past.

The banner characters are not going anywhere. Diversification of mediums (film, tv, games) will assure they stay in the collective minds of future generations. The strong numbers being put up by publishers other than the big two reflect an appetite for new content/concepts.

Still $4-$5 for one 22 page comic is a hard pill to swallow for new consumers. Growth is going to be mainly focused in cheaper formats like digital and trades.

I was thinking more along the lines of how many comics DC or Marvel used to sell in the the 60s, the 70s, the 80s versus now. Obviously there are less readers now, and it's not like in the 90s readership increased, as you say, big sales were mostly a direct result of speculation.

Laugh if you want, but I still think 2.99 is expensive. Which is way I pay 1.79 for regular comics in DCBS, and 2.39 when they are 3.99. If not for discounts I would have stopped buying new comics a long time ago.

[Juan Cena]

What's interesting is that there was going to be an I, Vampire crossover in FLash before the book was canceled.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/01/27/hawkman-cancelled-and-no-i-vampire-crossover-with-the-flash/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Maybe DC should have done something like this a little sooner. Or maybe it should have planned to have x-overs in the more established pre-N52 books with the characters from the new books early on.

[Arion]

Hmmm. Okay, I see what you are saying. I knew that you would lose readers after a book premiere; that only makes sense, but you are saying comics lose readers almost every time there is not a crossover? I find that a little unlikely, but I’ll do some homework on it.



Does anybody know of a comparative analysis between the comic book market degeneration and the regular book market?



Who pays four bucks for 22 pages?

Everyone. Except, of course, those who use DCBS.

[IvCNuB4]

$3.99 is usually for the larger 48 page DC issues, isn't it ?

[Arion]

$3.99 is usually for the larger 48 page DC issues, isn't it ?

Oh sure... in 1999.
In 2013 half of Marvel comics (22 or 20 pages) cost 3.99, a lot of DC titles cost 3.99, all of IDW, Avatar and Dynamite titles cost 3.99.